wise athletes podcast

I asked Dr. Stephen Seiler to join me on Wise Athletes to discuss Athletic Performance Longevity. We discuss his research and speculate about how older athletes can keep the machinery healthy for performance today while also doing the right things for athletic longevity, which is way more than just healthspan. You and I, we all want to be strong, healthy, and athletic as long as we live. Guidelines for Older Athletes Seeking Athletic Longevity Do What You Love, what gives you joy.  If you do the thing that provides camaraderie or whatever you love, you’ll keep doing it.  If you are not smiling and enjoying yourself while doing your training or sport, at least on most days, then figure out why not.  Be Kind to Yourself.  You can’t go hard every day.  And you shouldn’t wrap your self-worth in your ability to go hard all the time.  Enjoying it is far more important than extracting the last 1% of performance. If you enjoy yourself, you’ll be better in the long-run. And here are some details to get it right: Keep At It.  Exercise is good for your quality of life and longevity, and stopping will just make it harder to start again.Tone Down the Risk Taking.  Don’t “die of stupid”, but also don’t get hurt because then you’ll have to stop exercising.Seek a Flow or Rhythm in the Training Process that accommodates actual (which might be slower) recovery from the hard efforts.  Earn the right to go hard by going easy and recovering well.  Working out too hard, too often can turn exercise into an unhealthy behavior.Lengthen the Workouts to Emphasize Muscular and Cardiovascular Endurance over pure power to compete better with the younger athletesAdopt a Preventive Maintenance Mindset to keep the machine healthy and avoid nagging pain and injury that will interrupt consistency and sap the joy from athletics.   Take time to do some strength training, some mobility work, some core work and some daily stretches to keep you in the game.  And do some body weight-based, speed/power and agility/balance work to hang on to it longer.If You are Not an Athlete yet, then Get Going.  It just gets harder later.  You’ll never be as young as you are today. Find one or more things you love and get going.  And, as a bonus, the newer athlete can make fast progress, and keep getting better for a long time. Dr. Stephen Seiler YouTube presentation on Aging Athletes Dr. Seiler published a YouTube presentation called “Does Our Endurance Machinery Slow Down At Different Rates as we Get Old?”   Dr. Seiler’s presentation concluded that athletic performance does drop due to 3 primary factors: https://youtu.be/bzphy5EN8lg My Notes from Dr. Seiler’s presentation: (1) Maximum Heart Rate Falls As We Get Older. The drop is steady after age 30 but accelerates after 55. The good news is: (1) at VT1 (the maximum endurance pace, older guys can achieve higher % of VO2Max at the same lactate as younger guys. And, at VT2 (FTP), while older guys have less range in BPM above VT1, old guys can still use a higher % of VO2Max (less advantage than at VT1), perhaps due to larger proportion of slow twitch muscle fibers.  More good news, looking at multiple biometric factors for older athletes vs. younger athletes with the same performance, older athletes seem to have better cardio adaptation from more years of training. So, while central capacity (heart ability to pump blood) is declining, the peripheral capacity (muscle ability to do work) holds steady if training is maintained. (2) We Lose Muscle Mass, and Type II Fibers Disappear More Rapidly. Mitochondria are highly responsive to activity, so if we remain active and provide a stimulus they remain number ours and healthy.   Masters athletes have better muscle adaptations than younger athletes which tend to offset the lower vo2max.  Could also be related to lower type 2 which are larger and have less blood flow?  Can fight this off with weight training.  Which can also help us to avoid becoming chair shaped as we adapt to sitting in chairs (or on bike). Drop in muscle mass accelerates after 50. Strength remains proportional to the muscle size which seems inconsistent with the preferential loss of fast twitch fibers. (3) loss of loss elasticity in connective tissue. Injury risk?  Pain from lack of mobility. Need to do mobility work.  Sustainable power = vo2max (what is max oxygen delivery and usage?)fractional utilization (what % vo2max is sustainable over many minutes?) – FTP/VLSS/VT2/Lactate ThresholdWork efficiency (oxygen cost of external work) – how efficiently does the aerobic capacity translate to power or velocity?anaerobic capacity plays a role in shorter events for power and velocity Take homes Maximal oxygen consumptions declines with age – mostly because max hr declines, no matter whatMuscle explosiveness declines no matter what as we ageMuscle endurance is well maintained if we keep trainingTherefore, our maximal endurance capacity declines faster than our sub-maximal capacityOlder athletes perform better and decline more slowly in longer races and longer, low-intensity training sessions as we age, at least in the age range 35-65 yo. –> Maximal endurance capacity falls faster than submaximal capacity Dr. Stephen Seiler contact info: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Stephen-Seiler https://twitter.com/StephenSeiler?s=20

In part 1 (Episode 24) of this 2-part series about what to do in the 24 hours before a race or big event, we talked mostly about the “warmup”.  Glen talked in detail about what he does in his extensive warmup that he needs to perform his best, which is complicated by many old injuries (to his back and heart, primarily) and just simply, a body that is getting older.  Episode 24: The 4-Step Winkel Warmup: https://www.wiseathletes.com/podcast/how-to-warm-up-the-older-body-to-prepare-for-a-hard-cycling-event/ Today, in part 2, we’re going to finish up by covering more variables that impact the day’s athletic performance, especially for the older athlete, and tactics that can be implemented to try to maximize performance.  Why bother, you say?  Well, here’s the thing.  Racing is a special opportunity.  As an adult, you don’t get to feel this alive very often.  Yeah, sure there are other things you can do but this is one of them.  Enjoy it, and avoid wasting it or turning it into a disaster you’ll regret. So, if you want to do your best, after all your training and paying your money and bothering to show up, why not remove impediments that CAN be removed quite easily.  This stuff isn’t hard or expensive.  It just requires a little planning ahead.  And a little discipline. Again, in the 24 hours prior to an event/race, you can do a set of things to get your body ready to perform maximally for your event.  So aside from the warmup that we discussed in detail in part 1, what are those tactics, those things we could do well to maximize our performance?  Why does they matter?  How does it matter even more for older athletes? We are not going to talk about training for an event, or tapering for an event.  We’re just talking about the 24 hours before.   And there are a lot of things you can do that will probably help, yet, for all of us, time is a luxury.  We’ll discuss 10 categories, and then we’ll put them into a timeline for implementation. The categories are: Exercise:  Goldie locks:  not too hot and not too cold.  You don’t want dead legs, but you don’t want a tired heart.  People are different.  You are different from year to year, and race to race.  Figure it out by seeing how you feel in advance.Food – macros:  carbs, fat, protein.  No big changes.  Nothing new.  No alcohol.  Focus on carbs.  You already have plenty of fat, and fat is slow to digest.  Protein can also be slow to digest and is a poor fuel.  Eat real food, like oatmeal, in the final meal before the race.  Most carb sources have fat and protein but not too much.  Some protein before training has a protective effect, but get enough carbs.  Stay away from sugary junk until you are exercising.  Many people suffer from dropping blood sugar if they eat 1-2 hours before warmup due to the compounding effect of insulin and muscle pulling in sugar during exercise.  It makes you feel very tired.Hydration:  avoid dehydration. No alcohol.  maybe drink extra water the day before and morning of.  Beware impact on sleep. And need for toilet at race.  It isn’t cool to pee in the bushes at a race.Supplements:  nothing new,  caffeine,Nerves:   adrenaline is good, but…(need a toilet, can’t concentrate, etc.)Logistics – driving, parking, sign-in, toilet, water, food, ….Race / course:  know the course (ride it, if possible, the day of if possible), know the competition (people (someone you want to beat; what will they do?), yourself (goals to feel good; weaknesses to offset)), have a plan to accomplish your goal (win?, finish with pack?, not crash?)Gear prep (prep the bike, check the gear: bike bolts, shoes, cleats (no new cleats), check tires and tubes).  Spare wheels?Tech prep (batteries, charged, spares, computer reads your data only, xxxx)Cool down (starting the recovery with an easy ride afterward before the car ride, don’t do something stupid like contesting the sprint for 15th place, eat some food with carbs and protein, rehydrate), Here’s the timeline:  We’ll assume the event is in the morning. 2 nights before (yes, a bit more than 24 hours ahead).Just focus on getting a good night’s sleep for the last bit of recovery when you don’t have much stress to contend with. Keep the same diet as before. Check the gear that you don’t use everyday…have time to react / replace / fix something. If possible, ride or drive the course.  Look for off camber and broken pavement, sand on the road, manhole covers, low hanging trees, anything that helps you visualize the race.  You’ll need to ride the course again on race day to discover any newly arriving obstacles, such as parked cars, standing water or wet pavement, etc.Make sure you’ll have a clean kit for the raceMorning of the day before the race (before going to work):Okay, you are now on the clock.  24 hours to go.You need to figure out how to get the legs to be super fresh and full of energy on race day.  Some people feel best with an easy spin with a few hard efforts.  Some people like complete rest the day before.  Find what works for you, but the morning of the day before, it will be useful to see how you feel.  Do you feel great?  Do you feel tired?  Do you feel injured?  Now you have a bit of time to figure something out.Keep down the caffeine intake.  You may have nerves anyway; you don’t need so much.  Definitely stop the caffeine after your wakeup drink.After work of the day beforeThis is the most common timing for “openers” which is a few very short duration but high intensity efforts along with some spinning / super easy to flush out / burn off the lactate.  You just want to feel your legs are strong, but not get them tired.  Discipline is key.Check the bike now if you haven’t so far.  Maybe you can get to the store before it closes.  Or have spares handy.Plug in the batteries.Figure out the directions, where to park, when to leave. Ride or drive the course, if you can.  Look for off camber and broken pavement, sand on the road, manhole covers, low hanging trees,Pack the car or your bag now.  Anything you don’t put in the car, put by the door.  Don’t rely on thinking about what you need in the AM.  Your brain will not be functioning well from sleepiness and/or nerves.The Night before (the battle of nerves)The main things here are dinner and sleep, and anything you didn’t do from the earlier timesDon’t change your normal meals.  NO surprises.  Eat earlier than normal if you normally eat late.  You want to go to bed early, especially if you have to get up early (we’ll get to this).Don’t sweat it if you don’t sleep well.  The previous night was the important one.  But don’t be crazy either, if this event is important.  Don’t stay up late, don’t drink alcohol, don’t eat stuff that interferes with your normal bowel movements in the morning.Pump up your race tire.  We’ll see if they hold air in time to make a change.Did you get your directions worked out?  Set the alarm for Race Time minus ~2 hours (your on site work plus warmup) minus drive / look for parking spot time (with a cushion) minus wake up / make breakfast / eat breakfast / get into car time.  For me, that’s 2+1+1 or 4 hours before race time assuming only 1 hour drive.  I usually have extra time to kill, but once in a while the extra time saved me.  It’s always nice to be able to stop and chat with a teammate or a friend you see at the race.  And, yes, racing on zwift is much easier as far as logistics go.       The morning of before you leave the houseYou got up in time to eat your breakfast 3 hours before race time (or before warmup!).  Yup.  That’s the deal.  Don’t eat much fat.  Don’t eat much protein.  It’s a slow carb breakfast.  Don’t eat anything again until warmup begins.Check to see if the air leaked out of your tires.Pack the car if you haven’t already.The pre-raceSo you found the race and got a good parking spot.  Find the toilet, and use it as soon as you can.  Having a bit of spare paper in a ziplock bag can be a lifesaver.Find the race organizers table and check in.  Ask about which side to face the race number.   Grab some safety pins if they have some.  You should have some spare ones in your car just in case.Pin the numbers on.  Yes, you have to take off your jersey and put it back on. Or use glue. Or have someone else pin on your number and take your chances (ouch).Do your warmupLeave time to ride the course in between races or just before your own. Visualize the race. Where are the key checkpoints for assessing pace and performance?  Competition?  It could be a simple as just knowing when to get to the front before a hill or knowing which side of the road is better along the course or knowing how to avoid that pothole that you’ll never see comingThe raceNow we’re going to find out if you are a winner or a learner.  There are no losers.  It is not your living, and your ego should not rely on being the fastest or the strongest in your hobby.  Enjoy yourself, learn a lot, and use the race competition to push you to work harder than you can on your own.  Racing is wonderful if you win AND if you just allow the experience to be a pleasurable one.  There aren’t many ways to get this kind of experience.  Not everyone is as mature as you, so be careful out there.We are not going to get into race tactics or team tactics, even though that would be very fun.  We’ll definitely get into that in the future.  So, all that is left to talk about for the race in today’s episode is the start line, eating and drinking during the race, and the finish line.  Oh, and preems.If you want to do well, get to the start line early so you can get a spot on the front.  If you are just happy to be there, don’t get on the front line; there will be some very fast people trying to get around you very fast.Know how to clip in quickly.  Use speedplay if you have trouble.  Practice this until you never miss a clip.  Don’t put on new clips before a race.Don’t bring water and food unless the race is more than 1 hour.  If it is that short, the race will be too intense to use food and water and you won’t need it.  If it is longer, then plan ahead.  Carbs in the water can definitely helpShould you go for the preems? I’m always glad to see my competitors burning matches that don’t cost me anything.  Preems are a race organizer trick to spice up the race.  I never do unless I think it is an attack.  If you are there for the finishing sprint, go for it.  And congrats, you already succeeded.  Staying with the front group is a fine goal.  The final sprint is where bad things happen.  If they happen behind you, that’s a shame it happened.  If happens in front of you, that is a problem.  Don’t sprint for 17th place if the field is crowded.  And don’t sprint for 1st place if the field is crazy.  Instead, start your sprint way early to catch everyone off guard and try to stay away.  A mass sprint is a crazy, hazardous activity that even the pros get wrong sometimes.  Nothing to gain and everything to lose:  your health, your gear, your nerve.The post raceThe post race can start before the end of the race.  If you are off the back, make sure to finish your water and food.You need to clear your legs before you get into the car for a long drive home.  You don’t want blood pooling in your legs.If you do have a crash, get it cleaned up before you head home.  An infection will keep you off the bike for too long.

It wasn’t 6 months ago that I was thinking that someone should organize a gravel race somewhere along the Peak-to-Peak highway above the Denver-Metro area. I was starting to think I might have to do it myself when I heard about NedGravel. It sounds amazing. I’m definitely going to ride in this one. Listen in as I talk to Gavin Coombs, Founder and Race Director of NedGravel about how he and his team have pulled out all the stops to make this a great ride or race, whether you are a beginner or a hardcore gravel racer. Coming July 31, 2021 (80% full as of the end of April) Gavin and his team built one of the most challenging gravel races in the world. They built organized rides for all of us out of their regular fun rides, which have a ton of climbing and technical sections, and all at an elevation of 8,000-10,300 feet. The 3 courses pay homage to the hardened miners, dreamers and misfits who came before us as we ride through ghost towns, past mines and up mountains. The 3 courses vary in length and difficulty to accommodate a wide range of skills and desires for suffering. A fun, inclusive and challenging event in beautiful Nederland, CO (in the foothills above Boulder, CO) https://www.nedgravel.com/

Today Glen and I are joined by Jesse Jarjour of MyVeloFit, the recently publicized “ World’s First AI Powered Online Bike Fit.”  I tried the MyVeloFit system to test my own fit…..I learned a ton, and you should do the same. It is an amazing bit of technology. www.myvelofit.com Jesse and his team designed the MyVeloFit system to mirror the process you would experience during a professional bike fit. This starts with assessing your mobility, then analyzing your on-bike position, making adjustments to that position, assessing the changes, and repeating this process until you find a fit that works for you. Jesse Jarjour has been fitting bicycles to people for over a decade. He holds certifications from Retul, Trek Precision Fit, and has a level 2 certification from the International Bike Fitting Institute. Jesse has fit over 3000 individuals of many different athletic backgrounds. Jesse embraces technology in bike fitting. His Studio in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada is one of the most technologically advanced fit studios in Canada. He uses the MyVeloFit technology alongside technology from industry leaders such as Gebiomized, Retul, and Dartfish. He uses MyVeloFit to to take a baseline of his clients and give them visual reports of how the measurements work while they are in the studio and as a “pre fit” tool to ensure the clients are in a relatively sound position before coming in. Sample output from MyVeloFit analysis:

Glen and I are joined today by Inspirational athlete, Triny Willerton, who is the founder of ItCouldBeMe (itcouldbeme.org), a non-profit on a mission to change the relationship between drivers and vulnerable users of the road by re-humanizing cyclists and creating a movement of mutual responsibility and respect to make roads safer together. Just a few years earlier, Triny decided to get back into shape after gaining weight during multiple pregnancies, and changed the course of her life.  She met her husband, Nigel, in a race; she progressed to being a high-performing age group triathlete with a goal of qualifying for the IRONMAN Triathlon World Championship in Kona, Hawaii.  On the cusp of achieving her goal, she was nearly killed by a speeding driver while she was training on her bike. Her story was already inspirational, but now Triny had only 5-months to recover from immobility in her hospital bed to race in Kona as the representative of Women for Tri.  With her signature determination, Triny achieved her dream of racing in Kona. With this experience, her passion for bike safety led Triny to found, ItCouldBeMe, a non-profit working to improve road safety for cyclists. To find out more, please visit us at www.itcouldbeme.orgTo join us as an ambassador:https://www.itcouldbeme.org/ambassador-program/Coeursports:https://www.coeursports.com/collections/new-arrivalsNewton Running:https://www.newtonrunning.comHeadsweats:https://www.headsweats.com/collections/it-could-be-meRudy Project:https://www.rudyprojectna.com/Bicycle Coloradohttps://www.bicyclecolorado.org/Rachel Joyce and Dana Platin workshops :http://www.thewarmiproject.com/reinasCycliq Upride :https://upride.cc/Secretary of Transportation- Pete Buttigieghttps://www.transportation.gov/office-of-secretary Articles: https://303triathlon.com/tag/triny-willerton/ https://www.coeursports.com/blogs/latest/it-could-be-me

Our talk today will be about the nonprofit LoveYourBrain.   I wish everyone, and especially cyclists, knew about LoveYourBrain and its fantastic support of the traumatic brain injured…but they don’t…at least not yet.  While I had heard of LoveYourBrain through a friend of mine who was hit by a car while riding his bike in the mountains of Colorado, I didn’t really understand how important it was until now. Resilience won’t make your problems go away … but resilience will help you see past your problems, find enjoyment in life and handle the stresses of life. About LoveYourBrain: LoveYourBrain (LYB) is a non-profit that improves the quality of life of people affected by traumatic brain injury (TBI) and raises awareness about the importance of brain health. LYB’s evidence-based programs and resources are designed to create community, foster resilience, and help people understand the importance of loving your brain. Guided by their family’s experience, brothers Kevin and Adam Pearce established LYB following Kevin’s severe TBI from a snowboarding accident prior to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Kevin’s remarkable resilience was documented and transformed into the award winning HBO Documentary, “The Crash Reel,” which brought to light the experience of TBIs. Why this matters Isolation, unemployment, failed relationships, and suicidal ideation is reality for the brain injured. And since brain injury is often invisible, affected people are misunderstood and often poorly served by the standard medical system. LoveYourBrain website: https://www.loveyourbrain.com/ For today’s podcast, I am joined by 3 people who have had deep personal connection to brain injury as well as to LoveYourBrain.   We’re going to hear about their journeys, AND the story of LoveYourBrain, we will also find out how any of us can benefit from the resources provided by LoveYourBrain should we need it, and how we can help the LoveYourBrain team to continue doing their good works. My guests today are: Adam Pearce, who is the co-Founder and Executive Director of LoveYourBrain.  David Adler, who is a business leader and an avid cyclists and skier.  In 2013, he was hit by a car while riding his bike….leaving him with more than 20 broken bones, two collapsed lungs and a TBI.  Brett Tivers who is a high school sports coordinator and teacher now in New Zealand, but was a professional cyclist, and winner of the 2011 Tour of Battenkill in NY. In 2012, while racing in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Brett crashed at 38 mph and was knocked unconscious, resulting in a brain injury which ended his professional cycling career. Virtual Ride for Resilience info: Landing page link: https://www.loveyourbrain.com/ride-for-resilience Participant Guide link: https://my.visme.co/view/epdnp44x-loveyourbrain-ride-for-resilience-toolkit#s1 Sign up/fundraising link: https://www.classy.org/event/virtual-ride-for-resilience/e325437 Brain Injury Stats More TBIs occur while cycling than in footballFrom all causes, over 3 million traumatic brain injuries (TBI) occur in the US and Canada each yearApproximately 70,000 people every year experience long-term disability from TBITBI is complex and leads to whole person challenges (physical, emotional, cognitive)For concussions (mild TBI), one year after injury, 10-15% of patients have not recovered Adam Pearce Adam co-founded LoveYourBrain alongside Kevin and now serves as the Executive Director. Through his vision, LoveYourBrain endeavors to help all people understand what it means to truly love their brain. Adam also served as the co-producer and co-videographer of the HBO documentary “The Crash Reel.” The film premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2013 and was short listed for a 2014 Academy Award. Brett Tivers Brett is a New Zealander and was a professional cyclist. In 2012 Brett crashed while racing in the U.S and sustained a TBI.  He got a secondary concussion while teaching Physical Education in New Zealand in 2013.   After attending a LoveYourBrain retreat in 2019, Brett has incorporated the teachings from the retreat into his everyday life. Assistant Sports Co-ordinator, Teacher and Road Cycling Coach at Palmerston North Girls High School in New ZealandWork with high performance athletes/students in the school that represent New Zealand in a number of sports.https://www.loveyourbrain.com/blog/community-story/findingmypathintomindfulnesswalks https://cyclingtips.com/2011/04/tour-of-battenkill-americas-queen-of-the-classics/ https://cyclingtips.com/2014/04/cycling-and-concussion-is-it-time-to-stop-ignoring-the-dangers/ David Adler David has been a successful sales executive in the footwear industry for over 25 years due to his deep understanding of the wants and desires of consumers. He is an avid cyclist and skier who has used those passions to raise money and attention for causes he cares about. He has raised thousands of dollars for the National MS Society through fundraising and cycling in charity rides.  In 2013, he was in a devastating cycling/car accident that left him with many broken bones and a TBI. “The Crash Reel” film helped David open a dialogue about his own TBI and reach out to help others affected by brain injury.  In 2017, he co-created the first Love Your Brain event in Hermosa Beach, where he lives with his wife, Carol and two teenagers. Managing Director at Asymmetric Return Capital in Hermosa Beach, CaliforniaOn the BUCKIT podcast with Phil Keoghan (Co-Gan):  https://youtu.be/8N0jGt4NRvs What is resilience? https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/resilience-training/in-depth/resilience/art-20046311

The Warm Up for the Older Athlete– by Glen Winkel When I first started bike racing 40 years ago, I didn’t know anything about the warmup, stretching, etc. Sometimes, I would literally jump out of my car, pin my numbers on and hit the start line. And then drill it from the start! Nowadays, I am much more methodical in my warmup and I want to share with you what I have learned and tie in the cardiovascular and muscular aspect of it all. But now I have to warmup to keep from getting injured and to wake up my body so I can perform well. So, how do I do it? First question I ask: Will you be going full speed from the gun? For a time trial, since the clock is running from the final countdown till you cross the finish line, you have to get to your maximum speed and stay there the whole time, so the answer would be “YES”! What about a Criterium, Road Race, Gran Fondo, Hill Climb, Track race (points race, pursuit, sprints) or gravel ride, cycle cross or mountain bike race? For some of these, you might answer that depends. For example, let’s take the Morgal Bismark RR. “Normally” it starts off pretty leisurely (for masters) and we mosey over to the bottom of the wall, and then all hell breaks loose! Or some criteriums, start off fairly easy as everyone gets oriented and then someone attacks after the 2nd, 3rd or 4th lap into the race. Or sometimes, the race goes from the gun, so in that case you better be ready to go! The mountain bike races I have done, the start is a full on sprint till the single track and then it settles down somewhat. Often, you will make the decision before hand and you’ll get it wrong… therefore if doing well in an event is important to you, it would be prudent to be fully prepared to go hard at the start. With that concept in mind, let’s get you ready to go, so no matter how the race starts from the gun, whether it starts off leisurely or like a field sprint you will be ready. Now the next question you must be able to answer is: What type of riding will I be doing in this race? Steady state Time Trial effort, hill climb, road race with hills, criterium with large bursts of power plus lots of short intervals. Once you have answered this question, you now know what type of riding you are preparing for. Let me describe what I do and why. You may have your own warmup method that works great for you and you may want to stick to that. Or you might want to try out my method instead of what you are accustomed to or you might want to pick and choose those aspects to add to what you are already doing. Each cyclist has their own tried and true method of warmup. My hope is that you learn another method of warming up and if your results are not what you want them to be, perhaps due to a poor warmup, then try to incorporate some of these suggestions and see if it makes a difference. If you find that it’s beneficial, then make it a part of your regular program. TimingI now have a rule of thumb about when I arrive at races. I like to have a minimum of 1.5 hours to get warmed up. Which means that I have to arrive at the race venue 2 hours before my race starts to get my race number, find the porta-potties, get the bike ready, put my gear on and start my warmup. This wasn’t true years ago when I was younger, but now it’s a general rule. You may find this a bit extreme, but then perhaps you are not over age 65 either, so plan your warm up time accordingly. So assuming I have 1.5 hours to warmup. There are 6 phases to my warmup: These are 1) general warmup, 2) stretching 3) warmup ramp, 4) cardiovascular 5) muscles 6) Final warmup General warmup (1)Basically, I get on my trainer and I just turn the pedals. You might see me in my sneakers (I often don’t wear my cycling shoes during this phase). This is because I don’t need them. For this phase, I am only getting the blood starting to flow, loosening up the legs from the drive, warming up the muscles and getting them ready for the next phase which is stretching. Power wise, I am only doing 50-80/100 watts. Looking for a warming up of the heart, heart rate and getting the muscles slightly warm. You’ll often see me doing upper body twists, swinging my arms, rolling my neck and beginning to get my body loosened up in general.This phase may go for ½ hour depending upon how tight I am from the drive. Stretching (2)I NEVER used to stretch before bike races! NEVER! Now if I don’t stretch, I pay a heavy price. Perhaps it was all those years NOT stretching that requires me to stretch to make up for it. Looking back, I wonder how much better I might have performed had I stretched my muscles before racing like I do now. Alas, I may never know… Now to address this controversy before it gets started…there are some that say we should never stretch the muscles before an event, since it elongates the muscle fiber and reduces the power it can generate. For me, IF I don’t stretch BAD things happen. I pull muscles, my back hurts, my knee hurts, my foot hurts, my shoulders get sore, my legs cramp up and all sorts of other things. Many times at the start line, I am in pain before the race starts as I didn’t have time to stretch! My back is just killing me! Rather than go through all the stretches I now do (this will likely be a whole Training Tips in the future) I will cover the generalities so you can add in your trouble spots. Once my muscles are warm from the early general warmup, I get out a yoga mat and a stretch strap and roller. I basically due an active stretch with the strap of my hamstrings, while stretching my neck with the roller. Then I roll out my upper and lower back focusing upon my QL (quadratus lumborum).I roll out my gluteals, IT band, calves, hamstrings, sometime my adductors. Then I roll over and roll out my abs, psoas and quads. This whole process takes about 15-30 minutes depending upon how tight I am and how my muscles feel. Warmup ramp (3a)Now I get back on the trainer, and I usually have 1hr to 45 minutes for these next few sections.So I need to ramp up my power into my FTP and beyond levels. I do this in stages. I do have my cycling shoes on now and where earlier I was at 50-80 watts power, now I start riding gradually increasing my power into the 150 watts to 200 watt range. Rather than just cranking out 150 watts, I ramp up to 150 watts in stages. First cycling into the 150-200 watt range for just a few seconds. Maybe 5 to 15 seconds. Then I bring it back down, then ramp it back up again, giving my body time to recover just a little bit. The goal is to give my muscles time to open up and let the blood in. If you have ever gone hard from the gun, you know when you first apply the power, the muscles seem starved for oxygen and feel tight. This is what you want to avoid. You want the muscles opened up so they will not feel starved when the pace goes hard from the gun. Cardiovascular warmup (3b)Once I have my power up to the 200 watt range, I want to get my cardiovascular system up to speed. I do this by trying to hit my maximum rpm on the bike in a lighter gear. For example I may use my small chainring and try to hit 150 rpm. This isn’t hard on the muscles, but you’ll notice how hard you are breathing. Do an acceleration into 150 rpm and hold for about 5 to 10 seconds. Then a recovery period of 1-2 minutes. Do about 5 of these with near full recovery in between. I’m not concerned about power, more about rpm. When I am at my 150rpm level my wattage tends to be in the 500 to 700 watt range, so you don’t want to use a big gear, just a large enough gear than you have some resistance. You can often attain a heart rate close to your maxHR. You want to get the heart near its max HR, so the cardiac muscle is ready to go and the blood vessels which supply the heart are delivering a good blood/oxygen supply. You don’t want to go ischemic at the start of a race! This gets the heart and respiratory system ready for a maximum effort. Muscular warmup (4)In this section of your warmup, your goal is to get your muscles doing the “heavy work”. This places a high load on the muscles (lower rpm, higher gear) so they are accustomed to the higher workload. For example you might put it in the large chainring, perhaps your 15-12 tooth rear cog and gradually increase the rpm until you can’t increase the speed any more. Then give yourself a brief recovery period and try it again. You can throw in one of the high rpm spins from the above just to mix it up. I normally do 3 to 5 of these high gear ramps until I am ready for the final phase of the muscular warmup. So your cardiovascular/respiratory system is all set. Your muscles are ready for the workload. This final bit puts it all together. For a time trial, you put the bike in the gear you will race in, and accelerate to the rpm you will be time trialing at with the power setting you are trying to achieve. Let’s say you are aiming for 300 watts for your time trial. Choose your gear and then do a 300 watt effort first for 15 seconds, taper down, slight recovery, then 30 seconds, then slight recovery (till your HR starts to come down, it may take 1 min to 5 min depending upon your fitness level). Eventually you want to be able to maintain your TT power setting for about 1 to 2 minutes. Do this twice with about 5 to 10 min before your actual start time. You’ll have a brief 5-10 min recovery, but your body will be physically ready to go and you will be mentally ready for what lies ahead, knowing that you are fully warmed up and ready to go.

I am joined today by Patrick Bohan, the author of “How a Neurological Disorder Changed My Life for the Better.”  Patrick is a writer and an avid cyclist who has won state and national championships despite being afflicted by two neurological disorders. While it’s true that Patrick has two neurological disorders, but they do not have him.  Listen in as Patrick explains how his outlook on life and a simple philosophy of always overachieving allows him to do more than seems possible. His story is amazing.  We all can learn from his example in not making excuses, never feeling sorry for himself, and never giving up.  When you look up the word “Grit” in the dictionary, you should see a photo of Patrick standing atop a podium after he has beaten completely healthy, very strong cyclists in state and national level time trial events. Patrick lives by the philosophy of over achieving in whatever he does, and the results speak for themselves. Patrick suffers from the neurological disorder, multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN) from which there is no cure. MMN is marked by muscle atrophy, difficulty walking or lifting items, cramping, muscle twitching and muscle spasms, muscle tightness and discomfort, lack of mobility in the affected muscles, loss of Achilles reflex. And if that wasn’t enough, Patrick also suffers from cramp fasciculation syndrome (CFS) and Peripheral Nerve Hyper-excitation (PNH) … a major symptom of which is paresthesia (par-uhs-thee-zhuh) in hands and feet, cold hands and feet, numbness in all affected muscles, stabbing pains, buzzing sensations among other annoyances.  As a result of his medical conditions, Patrick is required to spend 14 or 15 hours a day laying down in discomfort and fatigue. We all can learn from his example in not making excuses, never feeling sorry for himself, and never giving up.  Patrick’s Bio I am an engineer by trade and avid cyclist who has won state and national championships despite being inflicted with two neurological disorders. Currently, my diagnosis is both cramp fasciculation syndrome (CFS) and multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN), but the diagnosis can change since my disorder does not fit into any one bucket of disorders. I am the author of several books including the Adventures of a Bike and his Boy. I enjoy the outdoors and love living in Colorado. It is possible to improve athletically over the age of 50 with a debilitating neurological condition. Furthermore, improvement may come in the absence of athletic genes (or slightly favorable). I achieved athletic success with a debilitating neurological condition for four reasons. First, training techniques can alter muscle protein composition overcoming physical limitations. Second, training can teach the body to bypass diseased cells by creating alternate neural pathways for the brain and muscles to communicate. Third, cycling is the great equalizer in sports. What I mean by this is that cycling is a sport that enables older individuals and people with disabilities to remain fast and competitive. Finally, disease influences personality traits such as resiliency, grit, and mental toughness to overcome physical limitations such as pain. Patrick’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/patrick.bohan.9 Patrick’s book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Neurological-Disorder-Changed-Life-Better/dp/B08WK51VNB/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=patrick+bohan&qid=1617135941&sr=8-1 Patrick’s children’s book: https://www.amazon.com/ADVENTURES-BIKE-HIS-BOY-Castle/dp/B08VFJ5YJL/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=patrick+bohan&qid=1617135964&sr=8-2

Your body has adapted to sitting in a chair. Learn how to become strong again for life, and how to capture more power on the bike. Oh yeah, and eliminate back pain. What do masters cyclists have in common with professional cyclists? Did you hear about the study of 116 professional cyclists to see who had back pain? 58% had experienced lower back pain in the previous 12 months. 41% had sought medical attention for back pain. Unfortunately, even if you are not a professional cyclist sitting on your bicycle for 20 or more hours a week, you ARE sitting in a chair and/or a bike for 50, 60 or more hours a week, and year after year. After so many years of sitting, our bodies have adapted to the sitting position, making us older athletes susceptible to injury and pain, and making us weaker on the bike and in life. There is no time like the present to get the wheels of progress working in the right direction. A cyclist with a healthy back is a strong cyclists. I am joined today by Doug Hanna, President of Physical Therapy of Boulder (ptofboulder.com), the largest private practice in Boulder County.  Doug brings over 30 years of clinical experience to his clients as well as a deep education in the field. Doug received a Bachelor of Science degree from Nebraska Wesleyan University and a Graduate Certificate in Physical Therapy from the Mayo School and Health Related Sciences in Rochester, Minnesota. Doug later completed Certification in Competency in Manual Therapy from the Institute of Graduate Health Sciences and a post-professional Masters of Science degree from the University of St. Augustine in Saint Augustine, Florida. Doug can relate to the masters athlete because he is one.  Doug rides and competes in gravel cycling, MTB, and bike pack races. Doug knows well the subject of back pain for cyclists.  Listen in as Doug talks about why our backs hurt and what we can do to have a healthier and stronger spine. Link to Wise Athletes podcast website: www.wiseathletes.com Here are the two episodes mentioned in this episode: Dealing with Pain with Charlie Merrill: https://www.wiseathletes.com/podcast/athlete-pain-is-real-but-not-what-you-think/ Bike Fit Case Study with Natalie Collins: https://www.wiseathletes.com/podcast/12-physical-therapist-bike-fitter-stop-pain-boost-power-a-case-study/

Glen and I are joined today by Lauren Costantini.   Lauren has a PhD in Neuroscience, was CEO of a wearable sensors company, has been a nationally-ranked professional bike racer (including a bronze at Worlds), and now own 3 businesses: a biotech consulting firm (LCC Consulting, LLC), an adventure tour guide company (P.E.D.A.L. Adventures), and a nutrition and wellness coaching company (Confluence).   http://www.confluencecoach.com/ https://pedal-mtb.com/ Lauren is still riding hard despite a challenging surgery in 2019.  As a scientist, Lauren was able to investigate the available research to find the optimal diet for rapidly returning to an elite level after her back surgery.  What she found was not only a diet that helped her recover, but also helped her to be stronger than ever! Listen in as Lauren describes her investigation and personal experience in find the best diet for her athletic performance and longevity. A bit more about Lauren: Lauren has been known to ‘Take the Leap’ many times in her life. Her circuitous path started as a singer and dancer in New York, followed by a PhD in Neuroscience, and was on faculty at Harvard Medical School developing treatment for Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. She moved to San Francisco to climb the corporate ladder, then headed to Boulder where she became the CEO of a wearable sensors company. She was a nationally-ranked professional bike racer, winning the bronze medal at the Masters World Championships, and often pondered how to make cycling part of her career.After 5 years as CEO, and realizing the top of the career ladder was not as fulfilling as expected, she resigned her position, got a sprinter van, traveled the country solo for 4 months, and hatched P.E.D.A.L. Mountain Bike Adventures, which quickly because as successful as it was fulfilling. After facing back fusion surgery last year, she spent 3 solid months researching scientific peer-reviewed journals to identify the best foods to enhance her recovery. She did not realize that her findings would not only provide a miraculous recovery from surgery, but also elevate her performance after her recovery. With changes in her nutrition, fine-tuning her strength work, and focusing her mindset, she became stronger on the bike and trails, leaner and more defined in body composition, found unlimited energy, and overcame her troubled sleeping. She’s literally turned back the clock. Lauren’s entrepreneurial spirit told her it was time to take another leap: she has just launched Confluence, a nutrition and wellness coaching company where she takes her science and human performance expertise, and cuts through the media hype to identify what works and what doesn’t.  She is constantly studying the latest research in nutrition, exercise, sleep, and body-mind connection, and provides her clients with a personalized step-wise approach to reach peak performance and vitality.  Her TedXTalk describes her passion: our bodies are constantly radiating data, and Lauren believes that through accessing that data, we can elevate ourselves to our highest potential.